Shafaq News – Baghdad

Ahead of Iraq's November 11 elections, candidates face a delicate balance: any perceived sympathy toward Israel can end a campaign, while taking distance from Iran has become a sign of political independence.

According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), the vote for 329 parliamentary seats — Iraq’s seventh since 2003 — comes as the country seeks to assert sovereignty between competing regional powers. Figures once tied to armed groups are now running on political lists, trading weapons for ballots in a nation still struggling to translate oil wealth into stable governance.

A 2022 law bans any support for normalization with Israel, carrying penalties of up to life imprisonment. Despite the absence of formal ties, accusations of pro-Israel leanings remain politically fatal.

Lawmaker Ibrahim al-Sumaidaie recently accused rivals of “courting Washington” and warned that the United States may pressure Iraq to join the Abraham Accords. Former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi dismissed similar claims, reiterating his opposition to normalization.

Meanwhile, more politicians are publicly distancing themselves from Tehran. Former Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, once one of Tehran’s strongest allies, now stresses national independence as Shia factions fragment.

This shift follows Israel’s post-2023 military strikes that weakened Iran’s regional proxies and altered the political balance across the Middle East, the report claimed.

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